FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Colorado State Rams didn't have to go far to find their new head basketball coach — just one chair over from Niko Medved.
One day after Medved was introduced as head coach at the University of Minnesota, CSU announced it had hired Ali Farokhmanesh to take his place. Farokhmanesh has spent the past seven seasons in Fort Collins as an assistant and, most recently, associate head coach.
The Rams are coming off what many consider to be the best season in school history: winning 26 games, the Mountain West Conference Championship, and advancing to Round 2 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
“I am thrilled that Ali will continue leading our men’s basketball program, now as head coach,” CSU Director of Athletics John Weber said. “Ali has a relentless attitude that he attacks each day with, which was important to us as we looked for the next leader of our men’s basketball program."
Official. As I posted the day Niko left, this was the easy and right choice for @CSUMBasketball @DenverChannel https://t.co/CPfWe83Om0
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) March 27, 2025
It's the easy and right choice for CSU. Farokhmanesh ran the show while Medved ran the program. Farokhmanesh is also very popular with the players and fans and well-liked by the administration. He has overwhelming support from the CSU community.
“I want to thank President Amy Parsons, John Weber, Scott Sidwell, and Christina Diaz for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be the head coach at Colorado State,” Farokhmanesh said. “Serving under Coach Medved has been a privilege, and I will forever be grateful to him for bringing me to Fort Collins. This university and state are special because of the great people. I am grateful for all who have been so welcoming and supportive of me and my family during our time here and look forward to continuing to grow those bonds in our community. I can’t wait to continue to build off the championship foundation our players have established and push it to greater heights.”
Farokhmanesh received his degree in finance from the University of Northern Iowa in 2010 and his master’s degree in educational administration from Nebraska in 2016. He and his wife, Mallory, have sons Tai, Liam and Luka and daughter Mila.
CSU will officially introduce Farokhmanesh at a press conference in Moby Arena at 11 a.m. on Friday. It's open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend to welcome the new coach.
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